Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Minor Occupation Group

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2021 Workforce

8.4M

Average Age

Average Salary

$20,377

Average Male Salary

$23,073

Average Female Salary

$18,111

About

Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations was $20,377 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV, Maui, Kalawao & Kauai Counties PUMA, HI, and Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV, LA City (Central/Koreatown) PUMA, CA, and Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY.

Photo by Marjon Melissen

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workforce. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workforce in 2021 was 8,396,316 people, of which 54.3% were women and 45.7% were men. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are paid most in Chelsea, Clinton & Midtown Business District PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Paradise (Northwest) & Winchester PUMA, NV.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

3,833,255

Male Workforce

± 47.4k

4,563,061

Female Workforce

± 51.6k

The Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workforce in 2021 was 8,396,316 people (54.3% women and 45.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 2.4% between 2014 (8,199,155) and 2021 (8,396,316).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Hawaii ($29,428), Nevada ($29,314), and District of Columbia ($27,189).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$20,377

AVERAGE WAGE

#17 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations earned an average of $20,377, $39,219 less than the average national salary of $59,596

Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations are the lowest paid occupation in the US followed by Personal Care & Service Occupations. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.431

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.431, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations and on wages for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, by average wage, is Alcoholic beverages merchant wholesalers ($160,717).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

8.4M

2021 Workforce

± 69,119

−2.55%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.19%

This graphic shows the share of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations at 92.1%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 4.46% and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 3.46%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in the US. The workforce of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in 2021 was 8,396,316 people, with 54.3% woman, and 45.7% men. The average age of male Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in the workforce is 32 and of female Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is 33.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in 2021 was 8,396,316 people, with 54.3% woman, and 45.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (1,765,625 people), 16 to 19 years (1,543,590 people), and 25 to 29 years (1,103,030 people). Among them they concentrated 52.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 25.7% of Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workers were Hispanic and 74.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (83.6%), Puerto Rican (9.19)%, and Salvadoran (7.19)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 62.9% of the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workforce were White, of which 57.1% were women and 42.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (13%) and Other (8.77%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Personal & Culinary Services.

Among the necessary skills for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, Social Perceptiveness stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations need more than the average amount of Quality Control Analysis.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (156,807 people), Visual & Performing Arts (69,416 people), and Education (51,711 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workers were High School or Equivalent (2,875,657 people), Some college (2,279,447 people), and Secondary Education (1,540,749 people).

The graphic shows the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Speaking.